"Podcast is all around us, it's everywhere we go" - It's the ultimate romantic comedy as Phil takes 2003's "Love, Actually" off the shelf. Dave has only seen clips over the years and was under the impression this was romantic, comedy and a Christmas classic, he is very underwhelmed and questions if it manages to be any of those three. Phil enjoys it a little more than Dave and finds that some of the storylines are beautiful, funny and sweet though he too has to admit that a few storylines should be excised and remembers loving it when it was first released but has had diminishing returns since.
This is a Re-Release of a pretty terrible movie and not a great episode actually. Why Re-release? just to show you how far we've come. Come back next week and enjoy a brand new episode where Phil and Dave butt heads on a movie some have deemed a classic. Happy Holidays!
"You keep podcasting on the Devil's door long enough, sooner or later someone is going to answer you" - We visit the mean streets of Detroit as Dave takes 2005's Four Brothers off the shelf this week. Phil has never seen this movie before and can not find many redeeming things to comment on. The cast is full of people on the rise but the movie fails to do anything interesting with them. Dave remembers this being a go-to movie for years and years and is happy to revisit it. Mark Wahlberg's energy is a little much to take but a fun plot and good banter between the brothers take it up a notch.
"Sometimes people just need to podcast." - We celebrate Wordfest as Phil takes 2000's Wonder Boys off the shelf this week. Dave confirms that he has never seen it before and finds it lands in his 6-7. Phil recalls seeing this movie a few times in 2000, being so enamoured of it that he immediately bought the book and couldn't wait to see it again. It's been a while but he finds it still holds up and is a light breeze of a movie.
"All this podcast crap, just fries your brain like an egg..." - We travel through time as Dave takes 2012's Looper off the shelf. Phil struggles to get beyond JGL's look and Bruce Willis' face but in the end find the movie to be better than he expected. Rian Johnson creates another layered and sometimes perplexing plotted film that is made more interesting by the supporting cast. Dave remembers that this was a movie that he tried to watch a number of times over the years but never got more than a few minutes in. He is glad to finally have an excuse to watch it and feels the movie is a little lacking in the overall presentation despite generally enjoying it. Phil thinks the movie is probably better than he gives it credit for being in the end.
"I am Catwoman. Hear me Podcast" - We return to Gotham as Phil takes 1992's Batman Returns off the shelf this week. Dave is resistant to watch another Batman movie but is happy to discuss the style and design of a Tim Burton movie for at least the fifth time. We're reminded that he may be the most talked about director in the history of the show. Phil loves that this is a Christmas movie and, once again, thinks that Michael Keaton fits the role well. However, this movie belongs to the villains, Catwoman and Penguin are on the poster but maybe it's Max Shreck who is the real bad guy. Just kidding, it's the Penguin who steals children and eats noses.
"There is only one rule: Don't Podcast" - This week, Dave is breaking the one rule as he takes 2008's Passchendaele off the shelf. Adding a Canadian story to the mix this November as we continue to honour those fallen soldiers, even though Dave doesn't really feel the movie connects and doesn't quite compete with other movies of the genre. On the other hand, Phil found himself enjoying the movie and performances generally while acknowledging that some of the dialogue is a little weak. A rare instance of Phil enjoying a Dave pick, even more than Dave does.
"The world isn't run by weapons anymore, it's run by little bits of data. It's all just podcasts" - Phil decides to sneak in a Robert Redford movie in honour of his passing by taking 1992's Sneakers off the shelf this week. Dave had not seen the movie before and found the performances to be enjoyable in a movie that keeps the audience engaged throughout. Phil recalls many watches on his own black box and finds that this is a great background movie to have on since at any point you jump in, you're bound to find something you like. We both wonder if the marketing of this movie led to it being underrated, underseen and under appreciated.
"Thank God its not a podcast detector or none of us would get in" - The stakes are high as Dave takes 1987's No Way Out off the shelf. Phil is shocked that he had never seen this movie before and is impressed by the twists and turns throughout. He also shares his Sean Young search history.. Dave was surprised to find this gem on a streaming service instead of his classic Gene section of his shelf. Both agree the film is underrated and you should tell your friends to watch it...I'm sure they will.
"It says... it says you're a dead podcast" - By popular demand Phil gets to take 1984's Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter (Part 4) off the shelf this week. Dave calls the audible and requests the next installment of Friday the 13th as he just could not wait to get back to Crystal Lake. He find the routine of the films to be wearing a little thin by now and with each movie, although recognizes the increased production value. Phil is excited to talk about what he thinks is one of the best in the franchise and when he thinks of this series of films, it is often this one.
"A new dimension in Podcast" - Halloween season continues as Phil takes 1982's Friday the 13th Part 3 off the shelf. After barely surviving part 2, Dave find the franchise to be at its nadir while the death toll rises, the performance quality and creativity falls. Despite this, is interested in what comes next. Phil recalls this movie being his favorite when he saw it but wonders exactly why that is the case. Almost nothing he remembers held up to this viewing but enjoys some of the kills and thinks that watching in 3D was a better experience. Both agree that the new theme song is awesome.
"I don't want to scare anyone, but I'm going to podcast straight about Jason. It's spooky season and Phil takes 1981's Friday the 13th Part 2 off the shelf. Dave reluctantly goes to Packanack Lodge, which rests on Crystal Lake. He questions his decision to watch more of these movies but engages with the movie a little more openly than the original. Phil find the cast of characters to be a little more enjoyable this time around, most notably, Amy Steel as Ginny and enjoys the attempt to elicit deeper sympathy in the characters as they have a very little more backstory. Neither of them can come up with a reason why Jason is even alive to bring the terror back in a sequel.
"I don't want your podcast" - Dave takes to the gridiron as he takes 1999's Varsity Blues off the shelf this week. Phil has never seen the movie before and is reminded that even in the hallowed year of 1999, some bad movies still were released. He finds the stereotypes too much to deal and performances that don't quite hit the mark. Dave remembers enjoying the movie upon release but doesn't think it lives up to his memory. While he enjoyed Jon Voight's performance but the character is too big to be believable.
"I think I need a podcast. I definitely need a long, slow podcast. It's time to sing and dance as Phil takes 1986's Little Shop of Horrors off the shelf this week. Dave isn't eager to have another musical but finds the production design and a couple of performances to make it worthwhile. He alwlso locks in the Francis Award. Phil, however, remembers loving the movie as a kid and thinks fondly of most of the songs but the puppet and miniature work is where this movie shines. He is happy to revisit and has been humming some tunes since the re-watch.
"Doctors say there is a 50/50 chance he'll podcast, though there is only a 10 percent chance of that" - Dave decides to bring the funny as he takes 1988's The Naked Gun off the shelf this week. Phil wonders how much of the references would be lost on today's viewers and is curious about anybody who is introduced to O.J. through this movie. Dave finds that the movie offers something for everyone's comedic sensibilities and both of them just laugh through the episode recalling the sheer amount of jokes.
"What does he do, this man you seek? - "He Podcasts" - It's another winner of the "Big Five" this week as Phil takes 1991's The Silence of the Lambs off the shelf. He remembers seeing this movie at a pretty young age and finding it more of a thriller than a horror movie but loved that a movie with such subject matter was winning so many Oscars. Dave had never seen the movie before but, of course, knew some of the themes and moments as they have lived well beyond the film. Even a cameo from his favorite security guard as Buffalo Bill.
"Remember, Podcast is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies." - Dave keeps us locked up as he takes 1997's Shawshank Redemption off the shelf this week. One of the most popular movies ever made that does just about everything right to get an audience to love it. Phillip remarks how the emotional strings co tongue to get pulled and doesn't mind. Dave wonders why he hasn't seen this movie more but, in the end, doesn't really connect to the overall strength of the film.
"Mmmmmm, podcast." Phil takes a trip to the "nuthouse" as he grabs 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest off the shelf. We discuss the great performances and Louise Fletcher's ability to get us to hate such a seemingly nice person. Dave enjoys the casr of characters and how he recognized most of them from other things while Phil remembers how his heart sank as the story culminates..
"Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and podcasting" - Luckily for us there is Site B as Dave takes 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park off the shelf this week. Phil is fired up and offended at the precipitous drop in quality from one movie to the other. Turning Malcom from scientist to hero, from co-star to lead hurts the movie and the rest of the film fails to bring anything new to the table; except maybe the cast. New faces doing what may be their worst work. Dave, for a brief period, enjoyed this one more than the original! We'll dig into why.
"Welcome to Jurassic Podcast" - It's time to get prehistoric as Dave takes 1993's Jurassic Park off the shelf this week. Phil remembers the time he went to see the movie in theatres only to find out it was sold out. Lamentably, he only experienced it on VHS later and has since upgraded to 4K. Dave remembers that he wasn't able to see it later until later. A rare movie where both Phil and Dave enjoy almost every aspect of the filmmaking, performance and score. There are few films better than this.